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Rivals.com continues its look back at the last decade in recruiting by juxtaposing the top of the 2010 team rankings with the top of the current class-of-2020 team rankings. Some names are the same and some are different, but there has been movement of both the subtle and drastic variety. And that, of course, starts at the top.
The first obvious discrepancy when comparing the two rankings is that 2010 recruiting champion USC, which signed four five-stars and 13 four-stars in 2010, is nowhere to be found in the 2019 top 20. That, of course, is the product of uncertainty caused by what most see as an inevitable coaching change. Recruits have been hesitant to sign with a program led by a lame-duck coach, so USC currently sits at No. 69, behind programs such as Indiana, Cincinnati and Kansas State while it mulls head coach Clay Helton’s future.
The Trojans’ crosstown rivals, UCLA, is also missing from the 2020 list, as the Chip Kelly Era in Westwood has gotten off to a slow start on the recruiting trail, thanks in part to the touted head coach’s 7-15 record at the school.
The fact that Cal checked in at No. 11 in the final 2020 team rankings and is nowhere to be found in the current top 20 is more bad news for the Pac-12. The Bears have cracked the top 20 just one other time (2011) since the start of the decade, highlighting the larger decline of the league as a whole.
Then, there’s the good news. No team improved its stock more than Clemson, as the Tigers started the 2010s ranked 19th in recruiting but are the favorite to win this year’s recruiting title. Texas A&M’s move to the SEC clearly improved its recruiting, as the Aggies were never a contender to crack the top five before making the switch in conference affiliation. Ohio State’s 2010 ranking of 25 was a bit of an anomaly, as the Buckeyes were in the midst of NCAA rules scandal that ultimately resulted in a one-year postseason ban and the removal of head coach Jim Tressel. Alabama has won six recruiting titles in the 2010s, but it started the decade near the back of the top 5, which is also where it currently ranks. Penn State, which peaked at No. 5 in 2018, checks in at No. 12 on both lists.
